Aboveboard Seattle Highlights The Sleepless Movie’s 25th Anniversary.

Awwwe. Sleepless In Seattle… Whenever we are showing Seattle floating homes for sale, a good portion of the buyers ask about the “Sleepless houseboat”. For twenty five years now the movie Sleepless In Seattle has had an effect on our Seattle houseboats community.

This article from the latest issue of Aboveboard Seattle highlights the movie and its mark left on us. It is so hard to believe it has been a quarter of a century!!!!

Time Flies: This Year Is The Sleepless In Seattle Movie’s 25th Anniversary

Sleepless In Seattle changed the perception of our city forever when it was released twenty five years ago. “Sleepless” is the now famous Seattle floating home which is pointed out on every Ride The Duck Tour and sought after by tourists from around the world. It is the first thing new prospective clients ask us about when they are exploring purchasing a floating home. Although this iconic movie was also largely shot in other cities such as Chicago, New York, and Baltimore, for a quarter of a century Sleepless in Seattle starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan has been the first movie people think of when they think of Seattle. Released on June 25th, 1993, this was one of Nora Ephron’s first major directorial jobs and continues to be a huge sentimental nod to the 1990s Seattle lifestyle. In fact, in a July 8th, 1993 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine Nora Ephron says in regards to Sam played by Tom Hanks, “He goes from Chicago, which is your modern, work-driven urban environment, to Seattle, which is – let me tell you, after three days there with my husband, Nick says, “This is a city where people have chosen lifestyle over work.” And he’s right. There are cities like this all over America, full of people who are kayaking and living the good life.” At the time of filming, Seattle’s official population was 525,974 people. By contrast, the current 2018 population according to sources is roughly 704,352, and while we have morphed more towards what Ephron described as a “modern, work-driven urban environment”, we also hold on tight to our “good life” roots.

Filming Sleepless In Seattle on an actual Lake Union floating home dock – The Scoop…

The filming while on location in Seattle itself was interesting and full of excitement and also challenges. One neighbor’s deck was used for catering for the cast and crew. They recall that one day while they were eating their Chinese take out for dinner, Tom Hanks walked in and asked ‘where’s mine?!’ According to them, “He of course was teasing and was just doing a little PR. He hung around and talked until he was called back on set. He was always very, very nice to everyone. Meg Ryan wasn’t around much because she only has two scenes in the area, including on Westlake Avenue above the dock. According to one account on the dock, she was “kept out of the public eye – the rumor was that she had just had a baby (fact) and she had a stalker that they were taking great precautions over (particularly because of the baby).”

The route they took in the rowboat….

Sleepless In Seattle is mostly a winter, even holiday movie, but it was infamously filmed during a very hot and sunny summer. In fact, it was filmed during one of Seattle’s very few actual droughts where it was so dry that the city imposed mandatory water restrictions. One neighbor’s recollection best describes the scenario: “It was so hot that summer, I can remember floating out in the lake in front of Sleepless in my swimming suit and inner tube, watching as they tried to keep all the actors, dressed in overcoats, scarves and boots, cool. And, they had to rig up special systems to make it rain – no small feat at the end of a long dock. (One of the reasons we are so dependent on the fireboats). And, there was a lot of talk about either a filter, or film treatment to make the footage seem grey and dreary when it was actually extremely blue and sunny — day after day after day. They were pulling their hair out.”

The dock in which the Sleepless house resides was completely transformed for the filming of the movie. I am very grateful for the fabulous account of it from one neighbor, “Our dock is particularly proud of our flowers — we often had casual competitions over who’s looked the best. Well, the production crew had to pluck out all the summer stuff and replace it with evergreens. The original child actor wasn’t working out for whatever reasons, and he was let go; it took about a month to audition and rehearse the new kid. And, then they had to reshoot all the scenes. It was supposed to be just a couple of weeks, but all summer long we were flowerless in Seattle.”

Watching Sleepless In Seattle Again….

This weekend, I watched Sleepless in Seattle again. I still found it comical to watch the unbelievable Hollywood geographic creative leaps and would challenge anyone who thinks they can take a small boat from Lake Union to Alki Beach in the hour or two it seemed to take the characters in the movie. The trip would involve taking the boat all the way up to the north end of Lake Union, through the ship canal, and into the Ballard Locks as Lake Union is roughly 20 feet higher than the Puget Sound. You would need to then go all the way around Discovery Park and cross the ferry traffic to head down to Alki Beach in West Seattle where the characters Sam and Jonah played. Almost as unbelievable is watching Meg Ryan’s character Annie “follow” them in her rental car by going over the Fremont Bridge. For the last 25 years, I have largely thought of this movie as somewhat of a “stalker” film, but this weekend I changed my mind and found it to be charming and sentimental. All in all, the movie holds up.

Call us if you want to learn more about the Seattle Houseboats lifestyle! Courtney Cooper | Molly Cartwright 206-850-8841/206-841-6800 houseboats@cooperjacobs.com

No Seattle Floating Homes Inventory!

Seattle floating homes sellers – want to get the most return on your asset? We have buyers waiting for Seattle floating homes to come on the market! Since every home is unique, there is always a pool of buyers waiting for exactly the right Seattle floating home to get listed in the MLS. This is how you will get the most amount of money. You want these buyers to look at your property and compete if they love it. Although we obviously recommend listing your home (with us), we are always happy to match one of our buyers with your floating home if you would like a quiet off market sale for one reason or another. We just need a few details. You can email us at houseboats@cooperjacobs.com and we are happy to get you a price range depending on the various details of your home.

Looking for a Seattle floating home to buy? There is literally no inventory on the lake. We know of a few about to come on in the higher range ($2M – 4M) and we know of a 2 bedroom/1.75 bath FSBO (for sale by owner) at $985,000. We also know of some people thinking about selling their floating homes, but there is no inventory on the market currently on Lake Union (including Lake Union’s Portage Bay). We can keep you posted and look out for those off market floating homes and waterfront home deals for you as well.

Molly Cartwright 206-841-6800 | Courtney Cooper 206-850-8841

We are Seattle Floating Homes Experts and Seattle Waterfront Living advocates. We would be happy to help guide you through the process of buying or selling your floating home in the current jungle of the Seattle real estate market. Things have changed drastically – even in the last six months. We look forward to hearing how we can help you. Please also feel free to email us: homes@cooperjacobs.com.

Buy a piece of the Lake in Seattle!

Not ready to jump all the way into Seattle floating home living, but still want to get your feet into the Seattle floating home water living real estate market? This is a great opportunity to purchase a piece of Lake Union. Located in the eastern arm of Lake Union in Portage Bay, this Seattle houseboats slip currently leases to a tenant floating home, but the possibilities are endless. It’s a great investment on a wonderful co-op dock with a parking spot included! You can purchase the slip as an investment, collect rental income, and own a coveted parking spot all while enjoying the investment benefits of Seattle real estate appreciation.

Portage Bay is a fabulous part of Lake Union! You are surrounded by the tranquility of calmer waters, but never very far from anything you need. Just down the block from the acclaimed and much celebrated grocery and eatery Little Lago, and surrounded by parks and beauty, this dock is on the Portage Bay Loop which is only slightly longer in length than Green Lake. Walk to Eastlake, University District, and more plus a quick commute to Amazon, University of Washington, and Children’s Hospital. Surrounded by multi million dollar properties and great spot between Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. $435,000

Call/Text Molly Cartwright or Courtney Cooper for more information 206-841-6800/206-850-8841 We are excited to share with you this wonderful Seattle waterfront lifestyle and all the perks of living Life Afloat In Seattle houseboats@cooperjacobs.com

Seattle Lifestyles – Floating Home vs. Condo.

Happy New Year! In following up on Seattle floating home showings for our listings,another Seattle real estate agent told me that their clients had been looking at Seattle high rise condos and then had abruptly switched to Seattle floating homes as a possibility. This happens quite a bit actually as they are far more affordable than people believe them to be. She suggested that the Lake Union lifestyle was a very different one then living downtown in a high rise. It got me thinking because at its core, Seattle floating home living is similar to living in a Downtown Seattle high rise condo in that you have your own space and it is very separate from the other homeowners on the dock spaces…

And although you are in the middle of the city Downtown Seattle Condos are quite peaceful and in touch with nature with scenic mountain and water views. Obviously, being on top of the water is going to be very different, but look at just the first few Downtown Seattle high rise condo listings and you see water and views which are not that different from looking at Lake Union floating homes. Affordability is higher on the lake and then add in the fact that you can have a boat tied to your house in many cases, its a no brainer to me, personally, but obviously I am partial.

The fact is many people that look at Seattle floating homes for the first time decide that houseboat living isn’t for them and we end up selling them a Downtown Seattle or South Lake Union condo usually. This alone proves to me that the two lifestyles are similar enough that if they are ready to take the plunge into floating home living that they will get some similar benefits as living downtown in a Seattle high rise condo.

In looking at the beautiful high rise condos in Downtown Seattle, here is a gorgeous slick modern new construction floating home to consider which is in fact a fabulous alternative to condo living! Modern interior with sleek surfaces and lots of useful spaces including storage and parking. A bargain compared to downtown prices at $1,798,000. PLUS The rooftop deck is YOUR OWN.

Be the first to own a new construction floating home on a great condo owned dock. This beautiful custom designed home by Prentiss+Balance+Wickline marvels in walnut hardwood floors throughout the 1580 square feet of luxury. Four decks to entertain or soak up the sun. The reverse floor plan maximizes views and light in a 360 fashion. A chef’s kitchen makes it fun to entertain and cook. Timeless Ceasarstone counter tops & custom cabinetry. Spectacular roof top deck for more outdoor space.

Please let us know if you would like to look at Downtown Seattle Condos or Seattle floating homes. We are happy to show you both and show you our favorites. homes@cooperjacobs.com Call/Text Courtney Cooper or Molly Cartwright at 206-841-6800

Why You Should Sell Your Seattle Floating Home Right Now

Pending in Escrow with multiple offers!

When I have conversations with people interested in selling their Seattle homes I always get an interesting array of responses, but in the last week alone three property owners have told me that they want to wait until spring to sell their home. Most years for us the winter is one of my busier times in Seattle real estate overall and sometimes even more busy on the lake! So the idea that someone would think the spring time could be better and want to wait to list their home doesn’t make sense to me. My favorite response when talking to a homeowner about selling their home in the so called “off season” is something along the lines of not understanding why it would be smart to sell their home in “the dead of winter”.

Five reasons why you should sell your floating home now if you are thinking about selling in spring:

You know how much your home is worth now. Molly and I have set record after record this year on various docks around Lake Union. The Seattle Houseboats world is typically a strong market anyway (except ironically slows down in August). The floating homes sales only slightly slowed down during the last real estate down turn, but there are no guarantees in this real estate game except that it is in fact a cyclical business. There are always ups and downs in the market and you won’t always see a shifting market before it happens.

There are fewer competing floating homes for sale. Fortunately for you, the holidays and the overshadowing belief that one should wait until spring will keep your competition at bay. In addition, Molly and I have sold most of the inventory so you really only have a couple floating homes that the buyer pool is looking at. Fewer competing homes on the market means more competing buyers and in this case – serious buyers – which brings me to #3.

Real Floating home buyers: The ones who are out there on the lake in the freezing cold and “dead of winter” are the ones that are definitely serious. This is not the warm season of “looky loos” and even the classic “nosy neighbors” tend to not want to venture out into the cold of the Pacific Northwest to check out the digs next door. This is never more truer than with floating homes. No one wants to risk their life walking down the slippery dock with the wind whipping up from below.

Statistics from the National Association Of Realtors measured by keyboxes are showing that the number of those serious buyers is high right now. While this has not historically mattered as much to the typical floating home buyer, interest in our unique properties has increased as people look to us as an alternative housing solution which is ironically more affordable these days.

The political climate is volatile with regards to many facets of life and that affects real estate. Uncertainty can cause the real estate market to slow down and giant looming tax changes could also make buyers reconsider future purchases. Seattle floating homes tend to be more of an emotional buy than land homes are and emotions usually run high over politics.

Are you interested in learning more about what your Seattle floating home might be worth today?

Molly and I are happy to provide you with a CMA to show you how much your home is worth now. We can get you pointers on small or large things to do to get your home ready for the market and we can also tell you what it is worth as is. We can tell you roughly what your buyer pool looks like today as well so that you can decide if you want to go ahead and take the “polar plunge” into selling your Lake Union floating home this winter. Call/Text us – 206-841-6800 or email seattleafloat@cooperjacobs.com